I haven’t experienced a significant creative block in a long time. I think because I have so many dang strategies for moving through and past it. I might feel “blocked” in the moment, or even for a few days. But nine times out of ten, all I need to do is put my butt in the chair and write, and the water starts flowing again.
But the last two years have been hard for a lot of people. I’ve read about writers who stayed blocked for all of 2020 and into 2021, and didn’t write for nearly two years. I know writers who were blocked for a month or two months or three. I know writers who got blocked when covid started, and are still there.
Abraham Piper recently released a tiktok video about how creativity comes in waves, and how that metaphor makes it easier to think of a block as being the low point before a new wave of creativity comes crashing down. Or something like that.
Which got me thinking about my strategies, and I realized that I don’t apply strategies willy-nilly. I have specific processes for determining which unblocking strategy to use and when. Which then led me to trying to outline my system so that perhaps I can use it more effectively next time I feel blocked.
And I’m putting it here because it might also help someone else.
I have a four-step process, that looks something like this:
Determine the type of block.
Select strategy for dealing specifically with that type of block.
Do the thing.
Rinse and repeat as necessary.
The rinse and repeat is really necessary, because I can often be plagued by than more than one thing at a time, so sometimes it requires multiple steps to clear out the blockage. And some of these strategies I now engage in on a regular basis, whether or not I’m feeling blocked, because on-going maintenance is good for avoiding coming to a complete standstill.
Types of Writer’s Block
In my experience, there are three types of writer’s block: Emotional, Intellectual, and External.
(As an aside, I experience the same blocks in all of my creative life, whether I’m drawing or playing music or whatever.)
Emotional writer’s block is when you can’t write because of internal forces—mainly, the way you feel. It might include being anxious or stressed, feeling overwhelmed, being sad, being distracted by good things, feeling like you just can't, imposter syndrome, feeling worthless or as though your art is worthless, ADHD, depression, physical pain, lack of sleep, period moodiness, certain medications which affect your mood, and any condition that has an impact on how you feel.
Intellectual writer’s block is when you have a problem you can’t solve, usually relating to your work or story. It might include things like not knowing where the plot goes next, feeling like your character is behaving inconsistently, feeling like something is wrong with your book but you don't know what, knowing you need to do more research but you don't want to or don't know where to find the information you need, wondering if this project really fits into your business plan or not—any problem that requires using your mind to overcome.
External writer’s block is anything happening to disrupt you over which you have no or limited control. It might include things like loud kids, a jackhammer outside, the dog barking, your house needing to be cleaned, your full time job or spouse needing attention, your printer not working so you can't print your manuscript, phone calls—pretty much anything not writing-related that is vying for your attention.
Understanding potential causes of your writer’s block is helpful because not all strategies work equally and their effectiveness depends on the problem. Locking yourself in a quiet, peaceful room won’t help if the problem is that you’re feeling lonely. Drinking a cup of tea to relax won’t help if the real problem is that you have no idea how to fix a plot hole. Going to a coffee shop to work won’t help if you’re upset because a close friend just died.
In addition, some of these problems may overlap. Lack of sleep might be making it hard to solve a plot problem. Physical pain might mean you have more doctor’s appointments. Feeling sad about a family death may also lead to more phone calls, therapy, and more chaos in your house and life.
But at least trying to pinpoint and identify what is causing your block will give you a starting place from which you can begin to find a solution.
Selecting & Engaging A Strategy
If you absolutely know what type of blocking you’re experiencing, then pick a strategy and go for it. If it doesn’t work, try something else. At this point in my career, my strategies tend to be the same most of the time: mute discord, go to a different room, or pick a different project to work on.
Unfortunately, the problem with selecting a strategy can have some complications.
For example, let’s say your problem is loud kids. Here’s the thing: you can’t get rid of your kids. So finding space and quiet to write is more of an ongoing, long-term project. It might mean renting office space, or setting up a quiet corner in your basement, or setting up “writing time” where the kids have to read quietly while you work. It might mean scheduling the babysitter once a week so you can go to a coffee shop.
And what solution you choose will depend on your life, needs, resources, and specific situation. Not everyone has the money to rent an office, for example, or the space to set up an office in their home. Not everyone has the means to hire a babysitter for the purposes of peace and quiet.
So some of these challenges might take a while to figure out, and sometimes, the answer is simply waiting—putting a project on the backburner until you have the mental, physical, and emotional space to engage with your creative self.
In addition, sometimes the blocking is multi-layered. You may find quiet space to write even with your kids around, but what if you run into a plot problem? Or what if you sit down and discover that you’re sad or lonely? Getting rid of one type of block may simply reveal another.
This is where maintenance comes in. You can engage in unblocking activities even when you’re not feeling blocked. Think of it like running draino down the sink once a week (or once a month) even if you don’t have a clog. It’ll clear up some of the build-up in the pipes, decreasing the chance of you getting a clog at all.
Maintenance strategies will vary from person to person, of course, and will depend on the types of blocking you experience most often. For me, I mostly experience emotional blocks and occasionally intellectual ones. I live a quiet, introverted life with no kids, so external blocks are kept to a minimum.
A few maintenance strategies I engage in: going to therapy, reading books on writing, reading books on self-help, exercising as much as I can, trying to eat food that feels good, taking time to relax, going for regular walks, engaging with the writing community on a regular basis, doing art and playing piano, leaving myself space to think about things that are upsetting me. Consistently and regularly working on strategies to improve myself, my mind, and my emotions. Exploring philosophy. Giving workshops on writing, attending conferences, and supporting other writers.
All of these things help keep potential blocks from creeping in. And while sometimes blocks do still occur, they’re usually smaller, easier to clear out, and less frequent.
Rinse and Repeat
I think it can often seem like “If I just get past this creative block, I’ll be fixed!” but that’s not really the way it works. Like Abraham Piper said, it comes in waves—bursts of creativity and low lows both come in waves. So, in my opinion, it’s better to be prepared when the next bout of writer’s block comes knocking than to be knocked over and unable to get back on your feet.
Becoming and staying unblocked is an ongoing process, one that you will likely deal with over the course of your life to varying degrees.
The thing I like to remind myself when I’m in the middle of one, no matter how long it’s going on, is that when I look back at previous blocked periods, I came through every one. Every one ended. And so I choose to believe that this one will end too.
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